Paint applicator



Jan. 14, 1964 P. v. lMHoF 3,117,334

PAINT APPLICATOR Filed Jan. 28, 1960 IN V EN TOR.

PAUL IMHOF BY United States Patent Oce llrl Patented Jan. 14, 19643,117,334 Pm AllBlCATR Paul V. lmlrof, Rochester, NSY., assigner toEmmi@ Corporation, Rochester, NYY., a corporation of New Yori:

Filed `lan. 23, 1196i?, Ser. No. 5,203 1 Claim. (Cl. .l5-2lb) Thepresent invention relates to an applicator, and more particularly to animproved paint applicator and the method of making it.

Heretofore, the conventional long-bristled paint brush was the mosteffective way to apply paint or varnish manually to both smooth andirregular surfaces. However, a considerable amount 'of training in theproper use of a paint brush and experience in handling a brush isnecessary to obtain the desired results. For example, to prevent paintfrom dripping from .the brush, especially when painting overhead orvertical surfaces, it is necessary to get just the proper amount ofpaint on the bristles. Also, to apply the coat of paint evenly, and 'toeliminate all the air bubbles, the skillful brushing out of the paint onthe surface is required. Moreover, to eliminate any brush marks on thesurface it is necessary to skillfully manipulate the brush so that amongother things the pressure on the brush is gradually decreased towardsthe ends of the stroke so that the ends of the bristles slightly touchthe surface there.

-Even in the hands of an experienced painter, a paint brush is deficienth1 some respects. For example, when covering an uneven surface,excessive paint tends to collect in the recesses or indentations of thesurface, and not enough paint covers the raised portions of the surface.Moreover, painting with la brush, even for a skilled painter, is timeconsuming. lFurthermore, a paint brush is relatively heavy, which istiring to the operator.

ln recent years, lambswool covered rollers have become popular forpainting large smooth surfaces, such as walls or ceilings. These rollerspermit even a relatively inexperienced painter to cover a smooth surfacequickly and easily. However, if the surface is -a little rough oruneven, the roller is ineffective, and a brush is required to touch upthe depressions in the surface which are missed by the roller. Moreover,the roller merely deposits a nlm of paint on the surface withoutbrushing it into the pores which limits coverage and adherence of thepaint to the surface. Also, the air bubbles in the paint can not beremoved by applying the paint with a roller.

The purpose of the present invention is to provide an improved paintapplicator which incorporates the advantages of both the long-bristledconventional paint brush and the lambswool roller, without having 'anyof their inherent disadvantages. yIn furtherance thereof, one o-f theobjects of the present invention is to provide an improved pm'ntapplicator which will permit even an inexperienced painter to applypaint or varnish evenly and properly both to smooth and irregularsurfaces alike with a minimum of effort.

Another object 4of this invention is to provide an improved :applicatorof the character described which destroys any air bubbles which may bein the paint, and also brushes the paint into the pores of the surface,without the extensive brushing out operation required with aconventional paint brush.

Another object of this invention is to provide an improved applicator ofthe character described which does not leave bristle or brush marks.

A further object of this invention is to provide an improved applicatorof the character described which will not drip paint or varnish whenpainting.

A further object of this invention is to provide an improved applicatorof the character described which requires less time yand motion thanconventional paint applicators tocover both a rough or smooth surface.

A `still further object of this invention is to provide an improvedprocess for making a paint applicator of the character described.

A still furthe-r `object o-f this invention is to provide an improvedapplica-tor of the character described which is lighter in weight,easier to handle, yand less tiring to use than conventional applicators.

Other objects of this invention will become apparent from thespecification, the drawing, and the appended claim.

In the drawing:

LFIG. l is :a `view in perspective of an applicator constructedaccording to one embodiment of the invention;

lFllG. 2 is a sectional view of the applicator taken on line 2 2 of FIG.1 and looking in the direction of the arrows; and

FIG. 3 is a diagrammatic View showing the applicator at the beginning ofa stroke in full lines, and in dotted lines at the middle, yand -at theend, respectively of a stroke when painting a surface, such as a wall.

ln the embodiment of the invent-ion illustrated in the drawing, theapplicator has a working surface which comprises a piece of textilematerial that is characterized by a thick, soft pile of short, erectthreads which are capable of holding an applicable quantity of liquid,such as paint. This textile material is preferably' mohair, having theshort hairs of the Angona goat positioned to project at right anglesfrom a fabric backing material. These short, erect hairs of the Angoragoat positioned to project at right im-ately one-eighth of an inch inlength, and are close enough together so that a liquid such as paint orvarnish lwill be retained between them.

The back of the mohair material is cemented to a cornpressible plasticblock which is preferably made from a piece of soft, resilient foamplastic such as polyurethane. The glue or cement which fastens themohair to the comressible plastic block is a type which is not affectedby paint, water or solvents, and also provides an impervious coatingbetween the mohair fabric and the plastic block, which pre-vents thepaint from` soaking into the plastic block during use. The foam plasticsupplies to the short, erect fibers of the mohair a resiliency similarto the long bristles of a conventional paint brush.

The plastic block is cemented to the contiguous convcxly curved surfaceof a metallic backing plate. Because of the curvature of the contactingsurface of the backing plate, the :operative surface of the mohairitself is convexly curved. A handle is attached to the backing plate formanipulating the applicator.

Referring in detail to the drawing by numerals of reference, theapplicator is made upy of a combined sheet metal backing plate andhandle generally referred to at it?, a compressib-le plastic cushion orblock generally referred to at 12, and a piece of mohair generallyreferred to at 14.

The member is preferably stamped from a single blank of sheet metal, andbent into the shape of a T having two laterally-extending portions 16and a looped portion 1S. The portions 16 form the backing plate and theloop 18 forms the manipulating portion or handle. The handle 18 isshaped so that the painter can grip it with all his fingers. It is lmuchless tiring to hold and manipulate, therefore, than the handle of theordinary paint brush. The portions 16 of the backing plate are bent toform a convexly curved undersurface. The lateral edges of the branches16 are bent over to provide marginal fianges 2i?.

The block IZ is generally rectangular in configuration and has an uppersurface 22, an undersurface 24 parallel with the upper surface, andsides 26. Attached to the convexly curved undersurface of the block 12is a piece of mohair 14 which comprises a textile backing portion 23 anda thick pile of short, erect threads 3d.

The mohair material 1li is first wetted with water, and then cement isapplied to the textile backing of this wet material. This wetting of thematerial insures that the cement which fastens the mohair material 14 tothe convex surface 24 of the block 12 runs into all the interstices ofthe material 28 to provide an impervious coating. Moreover, applying theglue to the wet mohair backing causes the material 28 to better adhereto the surface 24 of the block. Furthermore, this wetting operationdecreases the odors which accompany the application of the cement. Afterthe mohair 14 has dried on the surface 24 of the compressible plasticblock. 12, the block is cemented on its upper side 22 to the backingplate portions 16 of the member lf3. This bends the block 12 so that theapplying surface 30 of the mohair is convexly curved. The layer ofcement between the mohair backing 28 and the surface 24 of the block 12is impervious to liquid when it is dry, thus preventing any of the paintfrom being absorbed by the block 12 through the mohair material.

To use the paint applicator, a small quantity of paint is first pouredonto any smooth fiat surface such as cardboard, a pan such as used withroller applicators, etc. and the applicator is dipped into the paintdeep enough to fill the spaces between the mohair threads 30 only.

To apply paint on a surface 31 such as that of a wall 32 (FIG. 3), theapplicator is first positioned against the surface as shown in its fullline position in FIG. 3. The applicator is then swung downwardly bymerely swinging the arm naturally downwardly in one direction, so thatthe applicator assumes successively the dotted line positions shown inthis figure. This stroke of the applicator applies the paint evenly onthe surface 31 without the necessity of brushing out the paint andwithout having to eliminate any brush marks. In painting downwardly asshown in FIG. 3 any excess paint is confined at all times between theportion of the applicator which is in contact with the wall and thefollowing portion of the applicator. Since the curved surface of theapplicator has theoretically line contact only with the wall, this meansthat the excess is trapped between the line of contact and the curvedportion of the applicator above the line of contact. This preventsdripping and prevents the paint from running down the wall, and utilizesthe paint to maximum, economical degree.

It is apparent, that during this motion of the convexly curved surfaceof the applicator across this wall surface, a portion of the fibers 39are depositing paint thereon while another portion of the bers on theconvex surface are practically perpendicular to the surface thus givingit a brushing out action similar to a conventional brush. It has beenfound in actual practice that the applicator herein spreads the paintfurther in less time and with less effort and with better results thanthe conventional paint brush. For example, in painting rough surfacessuch as striated shingles, the surface of the shingle can be coveredproperly with one stroke of the applicator instead of requiring manyback and forth strokes as would be needed with an ordinary paint brush.In covering any surface having grooves or indentations, the compressiblecushion 12 permits the fibers to enter the grooves or indentations inthe proper position to apply paint thereto, as contrasted with theaction of a conventional paint brush whose bristles merely slide overthe top of the groove and deposit excessive paint therein.

The applicator of the present invention also gives better coverage thanan ordinary paint brush because it tlattens out the pigments by thepressure of its applying-wiping action. The paint is not merely laid on.

This applicator works equally well with both regular oil base and waterbase paints. In using the applicator with the latex water base paints,the paint may be applied even though it is replete with air bubbles,inasmuch as the fibers of the applicator are so close together as tobreak up these bubbles during use of the applicator. T he applicatorherein described uses less paint than a conventional paint brush in thatit applies practically all of the paint that is held between the fibersas contrasted with a conventional paint brush. In a conventional paintbrush a portion of the paint is always retained near the base of thebristles.

Furthermore, the surface area of the mohair for an applicator of aparticular width can be made much larger, than is practical with aconventional paint brush, because mohair of a given area is light ascompared with the weight and mass of the bristles of a conventionalpaint brush. The conventional paint brush is definitely limited as toits applicative area because it soon becomes too heavy and unwieldy foranything but professional use. In an applicator made according to thepresent invention, the quantity of paint stored in the applicator isretained over a large surface area which renders it practicallydripless.

Thus, I have provided an improved paint applicator wherein the convexlycurved working surface of the mohair material permits the operator toapply paint properly and easily during the natural swing of the arm withone stroke. This curved working surface also prevents excessive paintfrom dripping during painting, assists in removing the air bubbles fromlatex paints, and spreads the paint further and with less effort thanconventional applicators.

While the invention has been described in connection with a specificembodiment thereof, it will be understood that it is capable of furthermodification, and this application is intended to cover any variations,uses, or adaptations of the invention following, in general, theprinciples of the invention and including such departures from thepresent disclosure as corne within known or customary practice in theart to which the invention pertains and as may be applied to theessential features hereinbefore set forth, and as fall within the scopeof the invention or the limits of the appended claim.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is:

An applicator for applying a liquid such as paint to a surface in aswinging back and forth stroke, comprising a one-piece sheet of flexiblemetal having a handle formed integral therewith by bending up the sheetbetween its opposite lateral marginal side edges, said sheet beingshaped laterally outwardly from opposite sides of said handle to have anarcuately curved convex lower surface which terminates in spaced,marginal flanges that depend downwardly from and are transverse to saidconvex surface, said handle being positioned to extend in the directionof the axis of said lower surface, a generally rectangular block ofcompressible, resilient plastic material and of overall uniformthickness but of greater thickness than the depth of said fianges havingits upper side cemented between said flanges directly to the convexlower surface of said backing plate so that the lower surface of saidblock is convexly curved, and a piece of mohair having the upper facethereof cemented by a layer of non-absorbent cement to the convexlycurved lower sur- 5 face of said block, said piece of mohair beingsubstantial- 1y coextensive with said block and being of substantiallyuniform thickness throughout and having on the lower face thereof a pileof short, erect threads for holding a quantity of the liquid.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 6Smith May 2, 1939 Ussett et al. Oct. 14, 1941 Delsener Sept. 27, 1955Chao Ian. 6, 1959 Veneko May 19, 1959 Terzian NOV. 29, 1960 Heroy et a1.Dec. 6, 1960 Imhof Mar. 21, 1961 FOREIGN PATENTS Germany Jan. 9, 1894Austria June 10, 1959 Great Britain Ian. 16, 1957

